Lumber-cut-off machine



C. JOHNSON ET AL LUMBER CUT-OFF MACHI NE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 22 1922 .l/.N I Il Dec. 16, 1924. 1,519,378

C. JOHNSON ET AL LUMBER CUT-OFF MACHINE Filed NOV- 22, 1922v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

NETE

CHARLES JOHNSON AND ARTHUR B. JOHNSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

LUMBER-CUT-OFF IMACHNE.

Application filed November 22, 1922.

To alle/,17mm it may concern.'

Be it known that we, CHARLES JOHNSON and ARTHUR B. JOHNSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Cut-Oif Machines 2 and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to what is generally known to the trade as a lumber cut-olf machine. Machines of this character are eX- teusively used in box factories and woodworking mills, generally, for cutting long boards into short sections of certain but different lengths. The invent-ion is directed to certain improvements in the machine whereby highly improved results are olotained and, generally stated, the invention consists of the novelv devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

ln lumber cut-off machines, it is the common practice to mount the saw on an oscillatory support for movements to and from cuttin@` )osition but in m resent ma e l a y P chine, I employ a plurality of saws and eccentrically mount the same on a rotating support so that the saws will be brought into sawing position in succession. 1n carrying out this radical departure in machines of the above character, I provide numerous and highly important novel devices' and arrangements whereby the machine is not only made simple but of the very highest etliciency and will meet all of the conditions required for the general purposes above indicated.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing. the complete machine, except that the saw guard has been removed to better illustrate the arrangement of the saws;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken from frontto rear centrally through the machine approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Serial No. 602,653.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, some parts being shown in full; and i Fig. i is a vertical section taken on the line 4.-4; of Fig. 2.

1n the arrangement illustrated, all of the running parts of the machine, except the saws, are mounted within a housing or cabinet 5, the top plate of which and a horizontal extension 6 therefrom afford a feed table for the lumber to be cut off. T he outstanding end of the table extension G is shown as supported by a post 7.

Secured to and extending along the tablen forming top and extension 6 and projecting far beyond the former is a guide rail 8, see Figs. 1 and 2 preferably angular in cross-section, the same being provided with a deep notch 9, just outward of the housing 5, to clear the saws presently to be noted. Mounted on the projecting portion of this guide rail 8 is a plurality of longitudinally spaced independently operative stop fingers or gauge devices 10, which, so far as this invention is concerned, may be Operated in any suitable way to variably gauge the length of the board to be sawed off.. Preferably, however, these stop iingers are of substantially the arrangement disclosed in application for Letters Patent. of the United States Serial Number 549,669, executed by Charles Johnson and filed of date April 5, 1922, and entitled Lumber cut-off machine.7

Centrally secured to one side of the hous ing and projecting within the interior thereof is a bearing bracket 11, and secured to the other side of said housing at the exterior thereof is an upstanding bearing bracket 12. Located within the housing is a revoluble yoke 13, which has oppositely projecting axial bearing sleeves 14 and 15 and also has diametrically projecting laterally spaced pairs of arms 13. The long inner sleeve 14, at its projecting end, is journaled in the bracket 11, while the shorter outwardly projecting sleeve 15 is journaled in the upper end of the bearing bracket 12.

rlhe circular saws 16, of which, as shown, there are two in diametrically opposite locations, are secured to saw spindles or shafts 17 that are journaled in the pairs of laterally lOU of the adjacent side of kthe housingaancb that side of the housing is provided with a large circular opening that is substantially l closed by a rotating disk 19 secured to the yoke 13 and thioiiglrivliieh thesleeve 15 and the saw spindles 17 are passed. l

' Af primarydriving shaft 2Q`is extended naled in the bearingsleeves 14` and 15"'oli 'the'. rotatable yoke. This" shat't may driven` in any suitable i'vay, yas by an electricA uiotor orfpiillcy and belt connect-ions `from a poWer-driyenline shaft. lhfithinthe 20 yoke 13,' this prima-ry driving shait 2O is provided with alarge v"spuif' gear 21 that directly meshes with ltlie' sa w pinions 1 8. vBetween the bracket and `a'djace'rit side ot the housing, theshaft 20 is provided with a pulley' '22 preferably otthe'stepfped cone type. belt runs over tl 1e Y pulley 22 and o yier a reiierfselystepped, lcone pulley 24 thatV is carried a yc`ignitersh'att 125 jour- ,naled in suitable bearingsfon the s idesof 1.20 the housing 5. This lcounteifshatt prolvided With a islp'ur' pinion QGtliat" ineshes vith a fspurf' gea r" "27` earried'by a second countersliaftnQSffalso journaled suitable bearings onmthe ,sides ot' thehou'sing.

Iii? `The* countershait't1(28A` eariiies' a, small sprocket fcvheel' '29`ftliatis aligned with' a finuch larger fjs`pro`cket Wheel 3Q loosely ournaled onI the bearing" sleeve'14 of theretating yoke. Ik; sprocket chain 31` i'uns'over liiili'eel 30hlas. a laterally projecting anntilar v(':lutfch fligef'that coop rates with" an ex- .fpansibleclutch is keyed or otherwise rigidlyfsecured to the 15 yoke sleeve A14,` (see particularly Figs, 3

andfl), lhveclutch ring33 isund normal tension tocontract, but'inay b panded bya Wedge bolt 3 5 attaoh'ed'to a small leyer 36 that is h1leriiniedfon an edgef? of the 5" expansibleelutchfringandis fo'rkedso that itembraces the ekposed portion ot' the',Sleeve 14. This ltorked end 'of Athe, clutch z,leyei-"BG is arrangedfto" be ypressed toward'fthe ob- `serter in respect to Fig.` 3 andto'Ward the 572 left Iin respect to Fig. 4,}by a loosel collar 38mounted'on"thefsleeye 14. "As'fslhown, a

`libre Washer E38/ interposed between the 'sleeve l38 and forkedfendof the leyerf36- The sleevehas a peripheral'groove that 00 is engaged by studs on the arms of shipper fork 39 that is carried a rock shaft 40.

' lhe rock shaft 40 is'inounted in one'end .ot

V'thehousing 5 fancl in afbracket'41v secured on one side of said housing, (se'epart-icularly "35 Fig. and near one end is'provided With of. the rod 43 is round and mounted to slide through a guide block 46 secured to a transverse bar 47 otthe'housing. A coiled spring 4S surrounds the round portion of said rod and is jcompressed between theguide'block 46 yand' afnut 49 on -vsaid rod. This spring o enerts Van"upward' `fr irce which 'normally 'holds the "treadle" 'raised and, operating ,through the "arm 42, rock shaft140'L and fork -39,"freleas`es the clutch" nieniberf33 'troni the clutch merribery 32, so that the "sprocketiBO 'ivill be free to Vrotate iiiitl'iout"imparting yrotary 'motion to "the yoke Y13,'-Wl'iich latter has been fullyv desci'i'bed'and constitutes the sau7 carrier.

The free ends of the arms ofthe ork'39 are'pro'vided vWith lock lugsbfivhieh, in the normal 'position of theifork just"above noted, are engageable' with loclonotches'or detente 51, l(see Fig. 2),`i'ornied in an annular: ii'ai'ige'i'Q'on one side of 1the r'eio'luble yokef13- ll'hen thelugs 50 are` engaged `Wit-h the notches 5 1, the saW-carryingyoke 1 3 will be` lockedagainst'rotation' and held y'vitli' 'thesawsV 1n 'intermediate and" `inopferativepositiomtlat is, with thesaiys entirely b elowffthe' Work table or" feedfdeck' or,

at any yirate, 1outofthe line' of moijement" ot the boards on said eedftableor deck.

VVh'e-n the" nkiaohine is' in action, 'the saws rotate on their ownaries -y'vhile they are being freyolyed" around "the 'airis' ofthe' primary ,driving shaft' 20 and "of' the yoke 13, vandto protect-*the operatorftfrom the action olf'th'ese g" 33, the hub A34 of ilvhich i s'aiys, We' prov-ide a"s`aw^guard,`which" is" secured l tothel 'adjacent side of theh'ousing 5 andfpreferably comprises an annular-troughlike casting `53 rformed with' tangential saw dust discliargespouts and 55. The' top portion of said trough is oreferably formed with a"displa'c'eable section 5G`h`inged"`a t"57 "and norinally grayityheld at itsioperative position shown in Fig. 2,y inl Which'psition the boards 'maybe freely i'ed under thes'ame and into engagement with one"orthe'ther ofthe stop fingers 10, according" to which the latterislnioyed into "or" across 4the plane in i'vhich the board is'b'eing moi/ved.

For holding 'the treadle 44 ydepifessed so that the s'aiifswill c o'ntinuein action, We proyldea lockl'everS shown as pivoted'at 59 to t-he'saW guard 53 and arranged tobe held Where set a ratchet bai" GO onf'said'guard.

iUienftheloiiierfendof the leif'er 58 isrnoyed oyer'the treadle 44,` the latter \vill"`be`li'eld depressed -and the frk39 Will'be'inovedso as to release its lock lugs from the lock notches 51 and operating on the lever 36 to set the clutch and cause the saws to begin their orbital travel.

Operation.

The operation of the various parts of the machine is probably clear from the foregoing description, but the complete operation may be summarized as follows:

As just above indicated, the orbital travel. of the saws may be started by stepping on the treadle 114. lf it is desired that the saws continue such orbital travel, the treadle 11.4 may be locked down, but if it is desired that the saws make but one-half revolution, the clutch will simply be momentarily depressed, thereby causing the lock lugs 50 to be withdrawn from the lock notches 51, and this rcleases the saw-carrying yoke 13 and, moreover, sets the clutch 32H33 so that the gear 30 will become operative to transmit rotary motion to said yoke 13. lf the treadle is quite quickly released, the lugs 50 will ride on the exposed edge of the cam flange 52 and will hold the clutch 32-33 set until the sawcarrying yoke 13 has made one-half rotation and has carried one of the saws bodily through one-half of its orbital movement and past the position in which it cuts off the board. At the completion of the said halfrotation of the yoke 13, the spring 4:8, acting through the connections described, will move the fork 39 and re-engage the lugs 50 with the notches 51, thereby stopping and locking the yoke 13 against further rotation until the treadle is again depressed. `When the lugs 50 are thus re-engaged with the notches 51, the clutch 32-33 will be automatically released, thereby disconnecting the saws from their power-driving connections. As stated, if the treadle la be held depressed by the lever 54, the saws will be continuously rotated on their own axes and caused to continue their orbital travel or revolutions, This continuous action is very desirable when rapid work is desired and it is made possible by the fact that there will be suieient time intervening between the movements .of the two saws to and past sawing positions to enable the boards to be endwise adjusted against the depressed stop linger 10 and properly positioned for sawing.

`With the driving connections described, the saws will, of course, be revolved on their own axes at very high speed as compared with the speed at which they are revolved by the rotary yoke or saw carrier 13.

Sawdust thrown by the saws into the saw guard will be ejected out through the tangential spouts 54 and 55 and, in practice, these spouts will frequently be connected to suction spouts leading to a fan or blower.

The opening in the side of the casing 5,

that is normally closed by the disk i9, is large enough to permit the yoke 13 and gear 30 to be passed therethrough. Preferably, said plate is made in two seau-circular sections rigidly secured to and rotatable with the sleeve 15 of the sawarrying yoke.

By the novel arrangement described, the saws are driven through a system of sun and planetary gears, which obviates the use of belts as a drive between the axial spindle or shaft and the eccentrically mounted saws. `When the disk 19 is in place, it keeps sawdust and the like from getting into the casing and the mechanism therein contained. It is necessary for the said disk to rotate so that the saw spindles 17, which are passed therethrough, may be free to revolve around the a-Xis of the carrying yoke. By the arrangement described, t-he gears are encased and protected within the casing, while the saws are supported outside of the casing in position to perform their sawing function. ln the preferred arrangement, the saws are diametrically offset in respect to the axis of the saw carrier or yoke, but the mechanism would be efficient for opera-ting a single eccentrically located saw.

`What we claim is:

1. In a lumber cut-off machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of a rotary saw-carrying yoke journaled in said frame, a driving shaft journaled concentrically to the axis of said yoke, a` driving gear on said driving shaft located within said yoke, saw spindles eccentrically mounted on said yoke and equipped with circle saws and having pinions meshing with said driving gear, said yoke having an axial sleeve and a power driven wheel one of which is loose, and means for connecting the loose member, at will.

2. ln a lumber cut-off machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of a rotary saw-carrying yoke journaled .in said frame, a driving shaft journaled concentrically to the aXis of said yoke, a driving gear on said driving shaft located within said yoke, saw spindles eccentrically mounted on said yoke and equipped with circle saws and having pinions meshing with said driving gear, said yoke having a long axial sleeve, a power-driven wheel normally loose on said sleeve, and a clutch for connecting said power-driven wheel to the sleeve on said yoke.

3. The struct-ure defined in claim 2 in. further combination with means for locking said yoke with the saws in inoperative positions, when said clutch is released.

il. The combination with a rotary saw carrier and a driving shaft journaled coincident with thel axis thereof, of a circle saw eccentrically mounted on said saw carrier, connections for driving said saw from said driving shaft while it is being revolved by said carrier, a driving' Wheel j'ou-rnaled around the axis of said saw carrier, means for rotating said driving Wheel, fa- =of1ntoh for connecting' said driving Wheel ito saidyoke, and means for rotating said dr'ixini'g siiafit.

5. The structure defined in -elai'in 4 in fu'rthei' Combination With means foi looking said yoke against notation when said olii-teh is released and said dTifin-g Wheel 'is disconnected from said yoke.

6. The structure defined in claim L in further Combination with yield/ing means tending rto release said cin-ton 7. The stiuemle defined in claim 4 in further coin'bfi-na-ltion 'With lnieans orloeking said yoke against rotation when said clutch is released and saidV driving Wheel isdisvconnected from 'sa-id yoke, and in further CHARLES .oinwSio-N.- ARTHUR, B. '.IfoHNs'oNl. 

